Regional

4:29 pm

Thu March 1, 2012

Court Approves New Mexico House Districts

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The state Supreme Court has cleared the way for elections in newly redrawn districts for the 70-member House of Representatives.

Candidates for House seats will file for office on March 20.

The court on Thursday lifted a previous order that temporarily blocked elections for House seats pending the outcome of redistricting.

The court's action allows the governor to issue an updated election proclamation in the next several days to add House races to this year's ballot line-up.

A new House redistricting plan was issued earlier this week by retired District Judge James Hall. It creates new districts in the west side of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho to account for rapid population growth during the past decade. To offset those changes, other parts of the state lost seats.